Ryan Moore Wins Third Straight Canadian International

Cannock Chase gave Ryan Moore his third consecutive Canadian International Stakes victory. (Photos by Michael Burns)
By Tom LaMarra, @JerseyTom
Favored Cannock Chase rallied strongly in the stretch under Ryan Moore to win the $1-million Pattison Canadian International at Woodbine Oct. 18 over 1 ½ miles.
There was little movement in the Canadian International until the field turned for home. Triple Threat, generally an off-the-pace type, inherited the lead soon after the start and set fractions of :25.44 for the opening quarter-mile, :50.95 for the half-mile, 1:16.54 for six furlongs, and 1:41.46 for one mile. He was tracked by Reporting Star, Kaigun, and Power Ped with little change in the running order.
The fairly soft pace, however, didn't hurt the chances of the late runners. Up With the Birds took dead aim at the lead in mid-stretch but had to contend with Cannock Chase, who raced toward the rear of the field most of the way. Cannock Chase blew by Up With the Birds who managed to hold off a fast-closing Sheikhzayedroad, who rallied from last in the 11-horse field, for second.
Cannock Chase completed the distance in 2:29.26. In his previous start Sept. 25 at Newmarket, Cannock Chase and Moore teamed to win the 1 1/2-mile Sakhee Godolphin Stakes. Owned by Rabbah Bloodstock and trained by Sir Michael Stoute, Cannock Chase is a 4-year-old colt by Lemon Drop Kid. Cannock Chase, bred in Kentucky by Hascombe Stud, paid $7.50 to win. Moore also won the E.P Taylor Stakes (Can-IT) on the Woodbine card with Curvy.
MOORE WON HIS THIRD STRAIGHT CANADIAN INTERNATIONAL ON SUNDAY

"Michael (Stoute) has done a very good job with him," said Bruce Raymond of Rabbah Bloodstock. "The horse had a few problems, but since he has been stepped up to a mile and half, he has been doing well. He's a very good horse at this distance."
Raymond said Rabbah Bloodstock purchased Cannock Chase at Newmarket for $400,000. "He was a good buy," he said.
Moore, who won his third consecutive Canadian International, said Cannock Chase was brought along slowly by Stoute and has developed into "a very good horse." When asked after the race if he had something left in the tank, Moore said: "He won easy."
On the Woodbine undercard
Recaps by Jeremy Balan, @BH_JBalan
A two-time group winner in England and Ireland, Curvy made the most of her second North American start, taking the $500,000 E.P. Taylor Stakes Presented by HPIBet Oct. 18 at Woodbine.
Off as the 2.45-to-1 favorite in the field of 12, the 3-year-old Galileo filly trained by David Wachman raced in ninth, as many as 7 1/2 lengths back, early in the 1 1/4-mile turf test, as Rosalind set fractions of :25.08, :50.28, and 1:14.93 through six furlongs.
Still ninth after a mile in 1:39.63, Curvy surged on the outside in the stretch to win by 1 1/2 lengths under jockey Ryan Moore. The pair hit the wire in 2:02.88 on good turf. Talmada checked in second and Rosalind hung on for a game third-place effort.
"She has been a very impressive filly," Moore said. "She started the season off in handicaps and she has just progressed. She has kept on improving."
CURVY WINNING THE E.P. TAYLOR STAKES

Owned by Michael Tabor, Mrs. John Magnier, and Derrick Smith, Curvy made her North American debut at Belmont Park Oct. 3, when she ran fifth in the Flower Bowl Stakes. Earlier this year she took the Airlie Stud Gallinule Stakes and Ribblesdale Stakes.
Local favorite Strut the Course raced second-to-last in the 12-horse field through much of the E.P. Taylor and was blocked by a wall of runners at the top of the stretch, but found enough room to rally and finish fourth.
Curvy paid $6.90 to win.
Bred in Great Britain by Norelands and Hugo Lascelles, out of the Inchinor mare Frappe, Curvy now has a 5-0-1 record from 11 starts with earnings of $555,392.
DARRS Inc's Bye Bye Bernie may have given an indication of what was coming when he just missed, by a neck, in the Kentucky Downs Turf Dash Stakes Sept. 14 at odds of 55-1, because jockey Rafael Hernandez returned to ride him Oct. 18 in the $300,000 Nearctic Stakes.
Things were different this time around as Bye Bye Bernie and Hernandez emerged victorious in the Woodbine fixture. The 5-year-old Bernstein gelding was 22.05-to-1.
"After the last race at Kentucky Downs, I said, 'I want to ride back,' and (trainer Brendan Walsh) let me do it," Hernandez said. "The horse ran his race."
Bye Bye Bernie settled in on the rail on the turn of the six-furlong turf test, a few lengths off dueling leaders Spring to the Sky and Excaper through a quarter-mile in :22.49 and a half in :45.29. Both frontrunners retreated in the stretch as Bye Bye Bernie angled out, rallied, and then outlasted a group of hard-driving closers to the wire to finish the six furlongs in 1:09.00 on good turf.
Four horses were within a length of the winner at the finish and the final winning margin was a head, with Summation Time checking in second and The Great War third, a nose back. Favored Cyclogenisis, off at 5-2, broke slowly and never improved from last in the field of 10.
Bye Bye Bernie paid $46.10 on a $2 win ticket.
To see charts from all the races at Woodbine today, click here.